Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Anatomy of Italian TV News (on a Berlusconi Channel)

aka Phenomenology of Berlusconianism - the incessant process of molding the Average Italian's political conscience.

http://www.video.mediaset.it/video/studioaperto/full/456922/edizione-ore-18-30-del-29-aprile.html

00:13 italian politicians declarations
00:27 berlusconi speaks
01:02 killing of a disabled girl
01:20 found dead old lady mummified
01:30 killing of an italian girl
01:40 mediaset (Berlusconi company) is in active
02:00 woman kills his disabled son
03:12 killing of a skipper
04:40 scary amount of immigrants
05:02 italian political fights



06:00 Berlusconi declarations, saying that opposition is like Hitler or Robespierre, and they will increase taxes
07:50 more Berlusconi declarations
08:40 Berlusconi's company shareholders meeting, optimistic Berlusconi's son, propaganda of his companies


11:20 process of a woman accused of killing of his son
13:50 mummified woman hidden by his relatives
15:16 father of a girl dead drowned talks about her daughter
17:20 man sets himself fire with his daughter
19:20 killing of a girl



20:58 football player eats a banana thrown to him, to say no to racism
22:24 obese woman loses weight to get married
24:17 famous singer beats his wife
27:00 Italian prisons are overcrowded - pledge for amnesty
29:30 Berlusconi's political enemy makes declarations against another enemy of Berlusconi
31:23 current Prime Minister declarations reported by others (no images shown of him) - quite boring and confusing
35:55 European elections : some declarations from each major party - again very boring and confusing
38:40 Italian comedian back from hospital
40:21 gossip on celebrities



42:30 weather forecasts
43:10 end

On the whole, roughly 40% is crime news (and very grim crimes)... the effect is to depress any rational thinking, and make the spectator regress to a very primitive stage of awe and terror and sense of impotence. Everything outside is threatening (immigrants). Rational thinking is depressed, all what remains is humoral belly processing.

Another 30% is Berlusconi's propaganda - the effect is elating: in the midst of this dark world, Berlusconi is a phare of success, rationality and hope.
After all Catholic Church has done the same for centuries: first they terrorize you with images of sins and hell, then the promise you salvation. The whole experience is RELIGIOUS: Hell (crimes), Purgatory (Italian politics), Paradise (Berlusconi's world).

This treatment is done repeatedly, in successive waves.... crimes and Berlusconi success... more crimes and more Berlusconi propaganda.

Some 10% is gossip, and 20% is Italian politics.
Italian politics is boring and confusing... what is clear is that Berlusconi is good, the rest is bad or ambiguous.
Some positive values are fostered: racism is bad, but only when it's against a famous football player. Nobody seems to care about poor immigrants.
Weather forecast are at the end, like  milk in supermarkets: most people want them, and they have to go through all the rest to get them.

The Crisis doesn't exist.No international news - there is no world outside Italy. No Ukraine crisis. No wars in half a planet occupied by USA troops.

Fascism was different: they would never publish any crime news: no crimes were committed in Fascist Italy. Publishing a lot of crime news has also the effect of making you think that this is a very imperfect world, and needs some radical change (i.e. Fascism).




No comments: